Dry, red, itchy eyes driving me crazy...

[*KAREN* (UK)]

Hi does anyone else get dry red stingy eyes? Is it to do with rosacea?

I suffer badly with hayfever aswell and dont know if the anti histermines Ive been taking lately (clarytyn and ceterizine) have made my eyes worse? Im getting to the stage where Im avoiding going out because even the air and sun irritates my eyes and makes then sting like crazy. The rosacea is enough to deal with without this aswell.

I need to get something for it. Any suggestions would be appreciated? I prefer natural remedies as kind of given up on the doctors now.

Thanks Karen

[Froggirl]

Dry irritated eyes can be really uncomfortable can't they? It could be part of rosacea, or from seb derm, or allergies or from taking antihistamines. Occular rosacea isn't that common but it can be serious so if things don't improve it would be a good idea to see a doctor or optomolagist to check your eyes.

Mine are okay at the moment but I get Blepheris (sp?) which is where seb derm effects the eyelid margins and can block the tearducts a bit and tiny flakes of skin fall in the eyes and the end result can be really dry irritated eyes.

When it's been really bad i can't live without eyedrops. I use refresh ones that are meant to be like natural tears and preservative free and they make my eyes feel so much better. So might be worth a go, since you should be able to get them in any chemist so don't have to see a doctor.

Alternatively fish or flaxseed oil are meant to be able to help dry eyes a bit too, although this wouln't happen very quickly.

[Melissa W]

Hi Kate,

For blepharitis you should gently clean your lid margins with baby shampoo and water twice a day. It will help rid you of the bacteria there.

Hi Karen,

Kate is right. the preservative-free rewetting drops are the best ones to use and use them as often as you need to. Since they are preservative-free you will not suffer any adverse reactions. They are a natural way to go. If you don't get enough relief you may want to see an eye dr for prescription drops but there is a good chance you won't need to. Use the preserv-free drops every hour or even more frequently. It should alleviate some of your discomfort at the very least. Good luck.

Best wishes,
Melissa

[*KAREN* (UK)]

Thankyou Ill get some of those preservative free drops, they sound like they`l be helpful.

I also had a raised bit on my eye lid for over a year. Its gone now but the area still feels sore and itches sometimes. It looked like a stye but wasnt as they usually go within a few days. The doctor gave me some cream but it didnt do any good and just went on its own. After reading some of the posts Im wondering if it had anything to do with the rosacea.

If I get stressed it starts to flare up again but thankfully doesnt get as noticeable as before.


Karen

[jennfran]

My derm thinks I have ocular rosacea because my eyelids get red and swollen some, my eyeball does not get red, just dry but I use wetting drops also. My eyes are not swelling since the inside heat is off but I am afraid my eyeballs will get worse with redness later, or maybe I do not have ocular rosacea. I do eyelid scrubs daily and that has helped also. I also have allergies but my eyes do not itch so think it is the rosacea.

I also take zyrtec and zantac and this has helped my swelling completely, although like I said, it could be because the heat is off in my house now. It does make my eyes a little more dry but helps the swelling and flushes more so I live with it.

Karen, maybe you should try nasal antihistamines for the allergies, maybe that would not bother your eyes so much. I know I use to take the new one Astelin and I thought it did better for my allergies then any oral anti-histamine.

I do not have dry skin(flakes) on eyelids so do not think it is seb derm. Does anyone know if you can have rosacea on eyelids but not get it in the eyeball? Thanks..Jenn

[PA Dancer]

We seem to have a lot of topics going on about Ocular Rosacea, allergies, and red and dry eyes today.


I responded to Jenn's post about my Ocular Rosacea, but thought I should post here too.

The one thing I learned is that using an antihistimine for any extended period of time will dry out any part of your body that creates moisture.

I think the dry eyes is just part of that side effect.

But if you suffer with allergies you are going to do anything you can to deal with that too....seasonal allergies are miserable!

I used to work at an allergist office and a few things I learned was,
Dust mite pillow case covers are wonderful! (for me anyway)
Do not sleep with your window open. If you insist on it, invest in allergy screens.
If you have mold and mildew allergies, cut back on how many plants you have in your house, and get rid of the ones in your bedroom. (they hold the moisture in the air, and mold grows in the soil)

Things I have heard:
If you eat the local honey during allergy season this will help build tolerence to the allergiey.
And Orange Juice in a natural defence against allergies.
I don't know how true these two things are, but I drink my OJ every day.


I have ocular rosacea, blepharitis that caused Chalazions, and swollen eyelids.

Ann